Chapter 517: Hua Ruzhen (6,000-character update!)

The wife of Director Mukan Zorge is named Hua Ruzhen.

Lu Yan He took a bottle of red wine to the residence of Director Mukan Zorge and his wife here—an independent two-story house.

Lu Yan He received the invitation temporarily.

After Hua Ruzhen knew that the person on the other side of Mukan Zorge's phone was Lu Yan He, she snatched Mukan Zorge's phone directly and agreed with Lu Yan He to let him come over for dinner in the evening.

"Mukan told me before that you are living alone now, and there is nothing good to visit in this place, it's sparsely populated. Tonight, you come to our place for dinner, it's settled." Hua Ruzhen said indisputably, not giving Lu Yan He a chance to refuse.

After the call ended, the address was sent over.

Lu Yan He had to hurry to find a bottle of red wine first.

After all, he couldn't go empty-handed.

Unlike many director's wives Lu Yan He had met, Hua Ruzhen looked like a very ordinary housewife. She wore almost no jewelry, and her hair was just tied back very ordinarily.

Coming out to see Lu Yan He, Hua Ruzhen was still wearing an apron.

She took off her apron and hugged Lu Yan He warmly.

"Although I return to China less often, my friends and I have always been paying attention to you." Hua Ruzhen said. "When I was in the United States, I would even drive for several hours to a cinema in another city to watch your movies. You are truly our pride."

Lu Yan He was a bit flattered and said thank you.

Hua Ruzhen spoke to him in Chinese, and Mukan Zorge stood by, unable to understand what they were saying, feeling somewhat depressed.

Lu Yan He: "Thank you."

"Don't 'you' this and 'you' that, so polite. I'm two rounds older than you, just call me sister." Hua Ruzhen said. "It's really a face-saver for us that a young person like you can appear in the Chinese film circle. You don't know, because this guy is a director, I often deal with some people in the film circle. When they hear I'm Chinese, they will curiously ask me how I met him, and they will mention that there are no good movies in China now. Really, it made me so angry."

She pointed at Mukan and said again: "The most critical thing is that this guy also has this view, feeling that our Chinese movies are not filmed well."

Mukan Zorge finally couldn't take it anymore and said in English: "Hey, don't always speak Chinese, I can't understand!"

Hua Ruzhen immediately turned her head, kissed Mukan Zorge on the cheek, and said: "Honey, I was telling Yan He how happy I am that you two can work together. I feel especially proud that the most excellent director and actor in my mind can work together."

After Hua Ruzhen finished speaking, a smile appeared on Mukan Zorge's face.

Lu Yan He watched Hua Ruzhen in amazement, hiding his surprise.

Hua Ruzhen winked at Lu Yan He, signaling him to "keep it secret," and said to them: "Then I'll go prepare dinner first. You guys chat, finish your work matters quickly. I hope that later at the dinner table, we can talk about something unrelated to movies, such as celebrity gossip you know."

Lu Yan He said with a smile: "Sorry to trouble you, sister."

Hua Ruzhen retied her apron and went into the kitchen.

Mukan Zorge took Lu Yan He to his study on the second floor.

Although it was only a temporary residence, it was clear that he hadn't lowered his standard of living at all and had even prepared a study for himself.

Mukan Zorge picked up a stack of design drawings from his desk, handed them to Lu Yan He, and said: "Lu, take a look. These are some ideas I drew myself in the past two days about the styling of your character in the film. I wasn't very satisfied before either."

Lu Yan He received them in his hand and said to Mukan Zorge: "I'm glad that my opinion is consistent with yours."

Mukan Zorge: "Wendy is a talented guy, but she is also a very stubborn guy. It's not just you; I have also argued with her twice."

In many people's understanding, they always feel that in front of big-name directors and stars, others dare not express their thoughts or insist on their opinions. This is of course a common situation, but there are also some people who, no matter who you are, only think their own opinion is right and think their own idea is the better one.

Examples of heads of various technical departments, especially those like Wendy who have had successful works in the industry, have won awards, and have been recognized, having conflicts with directors are numerous.

Lu Yan He wasn't surprised that Wendy had her own opinions and persistence. He was surprised by Wendy's temper and that walk-out move.

"Mukan, the artist is very important to a film, you must know this. If she has had two conflicts with you, why don't you change someone?" Lu Yan He said. "This is your film. If the film's artist cannot execute your opinions and build a film world that meets your mind, then I think this is an unqualified artist."

Mukan Zorge said: "Wendy and Xin Nalin are a couple. The reason this film could get D19's investment is all because Xin Nalin did a lot of work in it. She is also the producer of our film."

Mukan Zorge's words shocked Lu Yan He.

What the hell?

Producer Xin Nalin and Wendy are a couple?

Lu Yan He suddenly realized what an unreliable thing he had done before.

No wonder her attitude of refusing to accept communication with Wendy made Xin Nalin not reply to his messages.

Lu Yan He suddenly thought, if he really conflicted with Wendy and the two couldn't cooperate anymore, would Xin Nalin replace him?

Lu Yan He didn't think his status in the *The Mist* film crew was that important.

Mukan Zorge said: "Xin Nalin is a good woman. Unfortunately, her eye for men isn't very good. That guy Wendy, I see that she doesn't take Xin Nalin to heart at all, just using Xin Nalin to climb up."

Mukan Zorge's words... could be considered relatively sharp and mean.

Lu Yan He also felt relieved.

At least, if nothing else, Mukan Zorge must also hate Wendy very much.

"Mukan, then we don't accept Wendy's opinion and must modify and adjust my image in the film. Will Xin Nalin accept it?" Lu Yan He asked puzzledly.

"I am the director of this film." At this time, Mukan Zorge said this again.

"So what if he is the director of that show? What does the success of *My Own Swordsman* have to do with Bai Jingnian? Everyone knows that the most critical creator of this show is Lu Yan He, right? The script he wrote is the most critical."

Domestically, when Hu Siwei was communicating with an investor he was familiar with about the investment intention for the next show, he mentioned that the director of this show was Bai Jingnian. Before the investor could say anything, the girlfriend he brought to dinner suddenly said the above words.

This made Hu Siwei stunned.

The investor looked at the girlfriend beside him and signaled with his eyes not to interrupt casually.

Hu Siwei smiled and explained a sentence.

"Director Bai Jingnian's style is indeed easy to make people ignore his own talent. When he was at Beijing Station, some leaders in the station also thought so, feeling that he had no talent and only took advantage because he got Lu Yan He's good script and filmed it. However, you can tell by looking at the difference between the second and third seasons of *Friends*. With the same script not by Lu Yan He, and with other configurations except the director being about the same, how big is the difference in reputation between these two seasons?"

Hu Siwei said to the investor, "Even if this show's script wasn't written by Lu Yan He, and it wasn't a big IP in the conventional sense, this is the first show I independently want to do after coming to Lu Yan He's production company. It's also a sitcom. Now, the only director who has truly filmed a big hit in sitcoms domestically is Bai Jingnian."

"Indeed, he doesn't have any flashy skills. The style he films seems as if he just set up a camera and filmed there. It seems there is no directly visible artistic style, but being able to film two big sitcom hits with such a straightforward style that seems to have no skills, and making the audience like them, this is skill."

The project Hu Siwei was talking about was the couple living together story he took a fancy to on the Ye Mai website.

At that time, Chen Ziyan bought this IP and attracted him to join Linghe.

After Hu Siwei joined Linghe, besides the *Friends* reboot version *Old Friends*, the other project he was doing was this one.

"Siwei, I believe in your vision and ability." The investor nodded, signaling Hu Siwei not to say any more, and said, "However, as you said, this show is looking for Bai Jingnian to direct, but not looking for already famous actors to star. To be honest, you know without me saying it, without stars, it's hard for this show to get market recognition."

Hu Siwei nodded.

"I can invest, but I hope you can leave the female lead to her."

The investor looked at the girlfriend beside him.

His girlfriend pouted and said: "I don't want to act in this kind of low-budget show that no one watches. You already promised to help me act in a big-production Xianxia drama."

Hu Siwei looked at this woman who was indeed beautiful but whose brain was really not very smart, and was silent.

Bai Jingnian smiled and clinked glasses with Hu Siwei, saying: "Normal, stay calm. Think about it, even Yan He encounters arguments about character styling when filming movies. It's not surprising that we encounter any weirdos when we want to film a show."

"He wasn't that kind of person before. How come it feels like after finding such a stupid girlfriend, he also became stupid?" Hu Siwei was speechless.

"It's not that he became stupid, it's that people don't care about our small production without stars." Bai Jingnian said with a smile. "The current situation domestically is like this. Without stars, even if you find a bigger TV director, it won't sell. He isn't stupid, of course he knows that the interest in investment is naturally not high."

Hu Siwei: "You are still making sarcastic remarks here. If this show can't find investment, it will be hard to push forward."

"What are you in a hurry for? Didn't Chen Ziyan say before? If you really can't find investment, the company will be responsible." Bai Jingnian said. "Anyway, there is someone to cover for you, what are you afraid of?"

"Afraid that this show really won't sell and will lose miserably." Hu Siwei sighed. "I just came to Linghe. If the first show I do is a blood-splattering flop, then how can I do things later? I don't want the company to bear all the pressure for me for the first show. I've been in this line of work for so long, can't I pull investment after leaving Beijing Station?"

Bai Jingnian: "Then should I go ask Polar Light? See if they are willing to invest a portion?"

"You are their signed director now. Whether you can be the director of this show is still uncertain." Hu Siwei asked, "Have you communicated this with them?"

Bai Jingnian: "I mentioned it to President Lin. Although I signed a director contract with Polar Light, it's not exclusive. External shows can also be taken. You don't need to worry about this."

Hu Siwei nodded upon hearing this. "That's good."

Bai Jingnian smiled.

"How are you preparing the script? Are you planning to ask Lu Yan He to write it?"

Hu Siwei: "If I could ask him to write the script, this show wouldn't need to be so troublesome. Moreover, don't you want to see what kind of results can be achieved by truly making a show according to your ideas, and at the same time, not a script by Lu Yan He?"

Bai Jingnian was silent for a moment and nodded.

Indeed.

They all have a good relationship with Lu Yan He, and they can all be considered people who have experienced many things together.

Even so, everyone hopes to be able to truly prove themselves to this world, rather than always being questioned by others with colored glasses: Isn't your success dependent on others?

"I know your talent, and I also very much appreciate your aesthetics in film art."

Xin Nalin looked helplessly at Wendy, who was still angry, and said: "However, we can't just quit and walk away whenever we encounter different opinions. Lu is the lead actor of this film, not some small role. You doing this makes me very embarrassed."

Wendy looked at Xin Nalin and said sarcastically: "What are you embarrassed about? You are a dignified producer anyway. If you really recognize me, you should support me."

"I have no way to support you." Xin Nalin was silent for a moment and said.

"Why?" Wendy showed an unbelievable expression.

Xin Nalin said: "It's not just Lu. Mukan actually told me the day before yesterday that he was dissatisfied with Lu's image in the film."

"Why are you telling me now?!" Wendy looked at Xin Nalin unbelievably, her tone raised, her tone sharp.

"I originally thought that if Lu Yan He recognized this styling today, I could communicate with Mukan again with Lu Yan He's opinion." Xin Nalin took a deep breath, her eyes becoming deep and unpredictable. "I have always been supporting you with my greatest efforts, Wendy. You don't know how much I have done for you."

Wendy suddenly became irritable.

"Don't talk about how much you've done for me anymore! You know what I want. What I've always wanted is to film a movie that truly belongs to me, not to do art for other people's movies again and again! You promised me before that there would definitely be this opportunity! Where is the opportunity? Why haven't I seen it?"

Xin Nalin opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

However, Wendy suddenly picked up her phone and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about me!" Wendy shouted angrily and loudly.

"I'm also chasing *My Own Swordsman*." Hua Ruzhen said to Lu Yan He. "I'm very surprised that you could write such a show. It feels like this isn't a theme and story a young person would write."

Lu Yan He didn't expect that he had only met Hua Ruzhen the day before, and met her again at the supermarket here the next day.

As soon as Hua Ruzhen saw him, a look of joy appeared.

Lu Yan He explained: "People often tell me that the scripts I write don't look like they were written by someone of my age."

He showed a look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

It was all acting.

"I really like the character Manager Tong in it. I don't know how you thought of shaping such a female image. After all—to be honest, if one day a female character like this appeared in a movie filmed by Mukan, I would think he must have asked someone else to help him film it." Hua Ruzhen said. "Many men can write a female like Guo Furong, but it's very hard to write a female like Tong Xiangyu."

Lu Yan He thought to himself, the original author Ning Caishen is a man.

"Why?"

"To be honest, in the cultural environment of China, a widow character like Tong Xiangyu is very rare to see so normal and vivid. I have watched quite a few Chinese-language film and television dramas. The widows in them either remain widowed for years and finally force themselves to be inhuman, or they are another extreme, having to be shaped as slutty and cheap. The term widow already has a certain symbolic meaning, and this word already has a directionality. Don't you think so?" Hua Ruzhen asked.

Lu Yan He: "I actually don't have much feeling in this regard. In my life from childhood to adulthood, I have indeed rarely heard anyone say the word widow."

Hua Ruzhen revealed a look of envy.

"Your growing environment is much better than mine." Hua Ruzhen shook her head with a smile. "Very good, no wonder you can write such a character."

"Sister, did you grow up in China?" Lu Yan He asked.

"Yes, but I have never been a Chinese citizen, if you want to ask this." Hua Ruzhen said. "My mom divorced my dad when I was three and took me back to the country. Both of them were international students and got married in the United States. So, even though neither of them had American citizenship, I became an American. I was only three when I returned to China and didn't remember much. I don't remember things before I was three anymore. Later, my mom married another man in China, and they lived quite happily. Actually, I also lived quite happily. They were quite good to me. However, when I was ten, that man had an accident and died."

Lu Yan He heard this, and his heart skipped a beat.

He immediately reacted to why Hua Ruzhen cared so much about widows just now.

He could probably guess it.

"My mom also never changed my nationality back. Actually, I could have changed it after returning to China when I was a child." Hua Ruzhen said. "Later, when I was studying in Germany, my mom passed away. I went home to handle the funeral and heard a lot of gossip from relatives, all talking about my mom. At that time, I was young and couldn't suppress my temper. I took a knife and wanted to kill people. The one who accompanied me back at that time was Mukan. He was my boyfriend at the time. He tried his best to stop me, and I didn't really do anything irreversible. Otherwise, I might still be in prison now."

Lu Yan He listened with a serious expression.

"Later, I married Mukan and lived in Germany and the United States for many years, rarely returning to China." Hua Ruzhen smiled gently at Lu Yan He. "After a long time, I still want to talk and chat with Chinese people. I don't know if it's the genes in my bones, or if I really grew up in China, so what I recognize and accept in my heart is still that set of things in our country. I can never talk to the group of people around Mukan. I started watching our domestic film and television dramas, watched a lot, and looked for familiarity and identification from our domestic film and television dramas. Very ridiculous, right?"

Lu Yan He shook his head. "Sister, this is not ridiculous at all. I understand."

At this moment, he was suddenly very glad about one thing.

Although he transmigrated, he still transmigrated to China and transmigrated to a Chinese person.

Otherwise, that sense of self-identification and acceptance would be even more fragmented.

"I really like this show *My Own Swordsman* too much." Hua Ruzhen said. "Compared to *Friends*, I still like *My Own Swordsman* better."

Lu Yan He: "But it's a pity that this show is not very understandable for foreigners."

"It's true, Mukan didn't really understand it." Hua Ruzhen smiled. "I let him accompany me to watch two episodes, and he really had eight hundred questions to ask me. Later, I was too lazy to let him accompany me to watch it together, otherwise I would always have to explain to him some places he couldn't understand. The subtitles for the international version of Polar Light are also translated too poorly."

Lu Yan He didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said: "Then I'll go reflect it to Polar Light."

Until before *The Mist* started filming, Lu Yan He's main character styling was finally decided.

The final styling was still personally designed and decided by Mukan.

Because he always appeared in the image of a ghost, there was basically no second set of clothes, and the image wouldn't change much.

After the styling was decided, the costume group started working overtime to make clothes.

Lu Yan He's scenes were therefore moved back, waiting.

Lu Yan He felt this was also quite good.

He had never filmed a foreign movie and didn't know what a foreign production crew was like.

Taking advantage of the fact that he didn't have to act in the few days before filming started, he could observe the operation of the production crew first.

The day before filming started, Mukan Zorge gathered all the main actors together, introduced them to each other, and read the script together again.

Although *The Mist* was a film with a low production cost, the cast of this film was actually quite good. The three actors who played the people who burned the Asian family to death back then were all actors who had filmed very famous movies and were considered somewhat famous in Europe and America.

After all, it wasn't the work of an unknown newcomer director. Director Mukan Zorge's new work could still attract some famous actors to participate.

Lu Yan He didn't know if they knew each other. Anyway, he was meeting everyone for the first time.

During the break of reading the script, when everyone was chatting.

Wendy came. ===== CHAPTER 518 =====